ExodusChapter 22

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¹"If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay back five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. ²If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one is guilty of shedding his blood. ³But if it happens after the sun comes up, there is guilt for shedding his blood. A thief must pay back everything. If he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for what he stole. ⁴If the stolen animal is found alive with him, whether an ox, a donkey, or a sheep, he must pay back twice as much. ⁵If a man lets his animals eat in a field or vineyard, and he lets them wander off and eat in someone else's field, he must pay for it with the best from his own field or vineyard. ⁶If a fire starts and spreads to thornbushes, and it burns up grain that is stacked or still growing, or the whole field, the one who started the fire must pay for everything. ⁷If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief must pay back twice as much if he is caught. ⁸If the thief is not found, the owner of the house must go before the judges. They will decide whether he took his neighbor's property.a ⁹Two people may argue over who owns something. It may be an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a piece of clothing, or anything lost. Someone says, 'This is mine.' Then both people must bring their case before the judges. The one the judges find guilty must pay back twice as much to his neighbor.b ¹⁰If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or another animal to take care of, but it dies, or is hurt, or is stolen while no one is watching, ¹¹the two men must settle it with an oath before the LORD. The neighbor must swear that he did not take the other man's property. The owner must accept the oath. The neighbor does not have to pay. ¹²But if the animal was really stolen from the neighbor, he must pay the owner for it. ¹³If a wild animal tore it to pieces, he must bring what is left as proof. He does not have to pay for the torn animal. ¹⁴If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies while the owner is not there, he must pay for it in full. ¹⁵If the owner was there, he does not have to pay. If the animal was rented, the rent money pays for the loss. ¹⁶If a man talks a virgin into sleeping with him, and she is not promised to anyone in marriage, he must pay the full bride price for her to be his wife. ¹⁷If her father completely refuses to give her to him, the man must still pay the same amount as the bride price for a virgin. ¹⁸You must not let a woman who practices witchcraft live. ¹⁹Whoever has sex with an animal must be put to death. ²⁰Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be set apart to be destroyed. ²¹You must not take advantage of a foreigner who lives among you or be cruel to him, because you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. ²²You must not treat any widow or orphan badly. ²³If you do treat them badly, and they cry out to me in their trouble, I will surely hear their cry. ²⁴My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will become widows. Your children will have no fathers. ²⁵If you lend money to one of my people among you who is poor, do not treat him like a money lender would. You must not charge him interest. ²⁶If you take your neighbor's coat as a promise that he will pay you back, give it back to him before the sun goes down, ²⁷because his coat is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am full of mercy. ²⁸You must not speak evil against God. You must not curse the ruler of your people. ²⁹You must not hold back the offerings from your grain or from your wine and oil. You must give me your firstborn sons.c ³⁰Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days. But on the eighth day you must give them to me. ³¹You must be my holy people. You must not eat the meat of an animal that wild animals have torn apart in the field. Throw it to the dogs.